Ethiopia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Ethiopia appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 8 different states, among them Ethiopia, Axum, Abyssinia, Ethiopia (Italy), Ifat.
EthiopiaExplore the history of Ethiopia in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Ethiopia as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Ethiopia, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 300 BC | Damot 6% |
| 1 BC | Axum 6% |
| AD 100 | Axum 6% |
| AD 200 | Axum 6% |
| AD 300 | Axum 6% |
| AD 400 | Axum 6% |
| AD 500 | Axum 56% |
| AD 600 | Axum 6% |
| AD 700 | Axum 38% · Ethiopian Highland Peoples 38% |
| AD 800 | Axum 38% · Alwa 2% |
| AD 900 | Axum 35% |
| 1000 | Alwa 2% |
| 1100 | Alwa 2% |
| 1200 | Ifat 75% |
| 1300 | Ethiopia 54% |
| 1400 | Ethiopia 54% |
| 1492 | Ethiopia 58% |
| 1500 | Ethiopia 58% |
| 1600 | Ethiopia 44% |
| 1650 | Ethiopia 42% |
| 1700 | Ethiopia 42% |
| 1783 | Ethiopia 42% |
| 1800 | Ethiopia 42% |
| 1815 | Ethiopia 40% |
| 1880 | Ethiopia 50% |
| 1900 | Ethiopia 50% |
| 1914 | Abyssinia 100% |
| 1920 | Ethiopia 100% |
| 1930 | Ethiopia 100% |
| 1938 | Ethiopia (Italy) 100% |
| 1945 | Ethiopia 100% |
| 1960 | Ethiopia 100% |
| 1994 | Ethiopia 100% |
| 2010 | Ethiopia 100% |
Historic cities in Ethiopia
Famous people of Ethiopia
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. AD 320 – AD 360 | Ezana of Aksum | King of Aksum |
| 1844 – 1913 | Menelik II | Emperor of Ethiopia |
| 1892 – 1975 | Haile Selassie I | Emperor of Ethiopia |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1896 | Battle of Adwa |
Landmarks
Church of Saint George, LalibelaStanding · 1200
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Ethiopia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Ethiopia belonged to Ethiopia, Axum, Abyssinia, Ethiopia (Italy), Ifat, Ethiopian Highland Peoples, along with 2 other states.
What was Ethiopia part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Ethiopia lay within Alwa.
What was Ethiopia part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Ethiopia lay within Ethiopia.
What was Ethiopia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Ethiopia lay within Ethiopia.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.